


Fixed Points

by Bittie752



Series: Tyler Family Adventures [6]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Tyler Family Adventures, facing consequences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-14 23:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1283443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bittie752/pseuds/Bittie752
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most moments in time can be changed. There are little ways in which one who knows what they are doing can make minute alterations. Sometimes they can make larger, more sweeping transformations and still allow timelines to remain intact. The trick is knowing what can be changed, what must be changed and what must stay the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is. The first chapter of the third and final (mulitchapter) installment to Tyler Family Adventures. Thank you all for your patience. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Thanks so much to my lovely beta IncurableRomantic as well as WhoinWhoville, Kelkat9 and so many others for all of their help and encouragement.

 

**~oOo~**

_This is Amy. I'm probably out having an amazing adventure and can't answer my phone right now. Leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._

_Beep._

"Amy, it's Mum," Rose said, her fingers curling and uncurling nervously. "Just wanted to let you know that Dad and I are here, whenever you're ready. Love you." She rang off and let her mobile fall onto the sofa next to her.

Rose understood that Amy was hurting, grieving, and needed her space, but Rose missed her daughter too. In the six months since they had dropped Melody off with Hannah, Amy had been distant. Well, she'd been distant with Rose and the Doctor. Amy had been in regular contact with Jenny and Sabrina. For the first few months, they had continued with Saturday night dinners at Tony and Trisha's.

However, Amy had confessed to Tony that it was just too hard to be around EJ or Jamie right now. Dinners had ended shortly after that. And since then, the family had felt fragmented.

A hand caressed Rose's shoulder. She didn't even have to turn to know it was the Doctor. A single tear slid down Rose's cheek. What had happened… it was horrific and she didn't know how to ease her own pain, let alone that of her children. It was like her husband's death all over again only this time she didn't have Jack to snap her out of it.

No, Jack was dealing with his own pain and guilt after the incident with the 456. Not to mention helping Melody with her transition. Rose felt utterly helpless.

"Let's go somewhere," she said finally.

He squeezed her shoulder. "Where do you want to go?"

Standing up, she walked around the sofa and let him envelope her in his arms. "I think I'm in the mood to save some people and topple some tyrants."

The Doctor pressed a kiss into her temple. "If that's what you need. I'm sure I can manage to stir up some trouble."

**~oOo~**

A brisk wind ruffled Rory's hair. The cold never really bothered him; now however he almost seemed to embrace it. Maybe he felt like it tempered his anguish just enough that he didn't do something foolhardy. It's probably why he'd been spending the vast majority of his time on planets that were so cold and isolated they didn't support sentient life. But it was the quiet that he needed to think, to plan the next steps.

He'd been a teenager when he had figured out the River was a Time Lady. She had told him explicitly that she wasn't his sister. At that time they hadn't learned that Jenny was still alive, so Rory had assumed that she was his daughter. None of the explanations he'd come up with as to why River had ended up traveling backwards in their time stream had come anywhere near the horrific nature of the truth.

Suddenly someone pushed him from behind and he whipped around, ready to yell at the offender. Instead of some rude adult, he saw a little girl about twelve with red hair carrying a small silver tube. She was dressed as Lizzie, the character in Amy's books that she had based on herself. Behind the little girl was a young boy, obviously pretending to be Robbie, the character based on Rory himself. Almost everyone, men, women and children, were dressed as characters from the book series.

"Sorry mister," the little girl said sheepishly. "I was so excited that I didn't look where I was going. It's the last Professor Who novel and Dad camped out for a week to get us tickets to the only book reading that Amelia Pond is doing." The little girl bounced on the balls of her feet. "I hope she's as nice in person as she is in those interviews on telly."

Rory smiled. "Amy Pond is the most brilliant, amazing woman I have ever met. That's why I married her." The little girl's eyes widened in shock and he winked.

"Trini, I told you not to wander off." A harried-looking woman came rushing up behind her. "You scarred me half to death."

"Sorry, Mummy," the little girl replied, not sounding the least bit remorseful.

Rory didn't wait around to hear the rest of the conversation between the mother and daughter. That woman had found her lost child. It was a happy ending, one that he wasn't going to get with his daughter. They had found her and she had regenerated in front of them. Died her first death before she was nine.

Briskly he walked towards the back entrance to the performance hall. He wondered if he should have come at all. A day full of happy families, of children laughing, how could Amy stand it? His hands clenched. Neither one of them should be here today. They should be somewhere else, anywhere else. Together.

A door slammed open. "Took you long enough. I swear you really did get Dad's sense of timing. Lords of Time, my arse."

Looking up at the familiar voice, Rory felt some of her anger lessen. "Hello, Brina."

The petite young brunette threw her arms around her big brother and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you came. I was a little worried that you wouldn't. How are you? And don't feed me any lines about being alright because there is no way that you because I'm not."

He took in a shaky breath. "I'm… I don't even know how to describe how I feel." He kissed the top of her head. "Guilty mostly. Where's Amy?"

"Inside, having a panic attack." Sabrina pulled out of the hug, tugged on her brother's arm and led him inside. "She's wondering why she even came. But it was part of her contract. Public appearances are required and it's her last book in the series. We only have about an hour until she has to be onstage." Sabrina wasn't telling him anything that he didn't already know. However, he just let her talk. Sabrina prattling on about everything made him feel a little more normal.

Brina led him through a door to a green room, and his hearts stopped when his eyes landed on Amy. His wife was sitting on a plush sofa, her back to them. Her shoulders were slumped, and he could tell that she was forcing herself to take slow, measured breaths.

"Hello, Amy," he murmured, not wanting to startle her. It hadn't worked. Amy jumped up at the sound of his voice. Tripping slightly over her own feet, she stood and turned to him.

"Hello, Rory." Her eyes were red with tears. She he tried to smile but couldn't. Neither one noticed Sabrina sneak out into the hall. "You came. I wasn't sure that you would but I'm glad you did. How long has it been for you?"

"Since I've seen you?" He swallowed hard. "A couple of weeks."

"Liar," she shot back. Her tone wasn't accusatory. It was a fact. Even now, she knew him better than anyone. "How long has it really been?"

He took a couple of tentative steps towards her. "Almost two months. And I have missed you every day. I just needed some time to think, you know." They had been spending more and more time apart lately. In some ways it was easier to get lost in your own pain when you didn't have to worry about someone else's.

"Yeah, I know." She closed the gap between them by a few more steps. "Jenny, she's been taking me back. Taking me to see Melody growing up, before she came to Leadworth. I needed to see that she was all right. We missed so much."

Reaching out, he placed a hand on her arm. "I understand. We missed it, all those first that we thought we'd get when we had our first child. I'm sorry."

"Rory," Amy whimpered. Throwing herself into his arms, she buried her face in his chest. "It hurts. They took her, hurt her, and we can't get her back. And her childhood ripped from her. Raised in foster care instead of by us. Why her? Why our baby?"

"Shhh. I don't know, love." Gently he stroked her back while she cried. More than a few tears slipped down his own cheeks.

Her fingers dug into his back. "It's not fair."

Gently, he guided her back to the sofa and pulled her into his lap. It wasn't fair. Nothing about this was fair. Amy didn't deserve this. Hadn't she been through enough with her parent's death at a young age and being raised by a selfish aunt who hadn't wanted anything to do with her? This wasn't the life he had wanted to give her.

For the longest time neither one of them said anything. They just sat there taking comfort in each other for one of the first time since they had handed Melody over to Hannah: seven months for her, closer to a year for him. It was too much grief to carry alone anymore. What they needed was each other. And a plan. A plan to give their daughter a chance at a future past the Library.

**~oOo~**

Jenny landed the TARDIS as quietly as possible in Tony and Trisha's guest room. Earlier, she had dropped Amy and Sabrina off at the book reading. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to stay to support her sister-in-law, but Rory was coming and Jenny didn't want to get in the way of the couple possibly talking for the first time in months. Sabrina knew them better and could help facilitate that. Mostly Jenny was feeling a bit useless and out of place.

Sure, she'd been taking Amy back to visit her daughter growing up, but all she had been doing is piloting the TARDIS. Then after Amy was done, Jenny always brought the ship to her brother. It was an endlessly frustrating cycle with both of them hurting, grieving and pushing the other further away. Jenny could see their timelines pulling apart. If they weren't careful they would snap apart.

Exasperated, she stepped out of the ship and headed down the hall. Hopefully, Tony or Trisha would be around for a cuppa and a chat. She needed to talk to somebody about how she felt and Mum, Dad, Amy and Rory were caught up in their own grief. Even Sabrina, whom Jenny had felt closest to since finding her family was busy being there for Amy and Jenny didn't want to burden her sister further. Not that Jenny blamed Sabrina. Jenny just felt sad and confused and didn't know how to handle things.

"Hello," she called out, walking over the threshold to the kitchen.

"Jenny?" Tony called from the other room. "Is that you?"

Coming into her line of sight, she smiled. "Who else would I be?" Sometimes Earth phrases were confusing.

Tony hugged her. "How have you been?"

A small sigh escaped her and she pulled away from him. "Not great, better than some. You?"

"About the same. I hug EJ and Jamie a little tighter every night now. I just…I can't imagine how Amy and Rory must be feeling." Moving towards the counter, he switched on the kettle.

Jenny nodded curtly and sat down at the table. "Where are Trisha and the kids?"

"Spending the day with Hannah. At least one good thing has come out of this, a closer mother-daughter relationship for those two. I had an early morning meeting so I was supposed to meet them later. You're more important though. Anything in particular on your mind?"

Pausing for a moment, Jenny gathered her thoughts. "I can't help but wonder…Never mind it's not important."

He set down the mugs he'd pulled out of the cabinet. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's important."

Jenny worried her lip. It was a habit that she'd picked up from Mum. "I can't help but wonder if Dad felt like this when he thought that I had died. Was he distraught? Sad?" She looked down at her hands. This was something she'd been thinking about for months, and now that she had someone to talk to she wasn't sure that she could stop herself from letting it all out.

"He had only known me for a few hours. And I guess I had always thought that it hadn't had time to sink in that he had a daughter, really his daughter. I know that he must have missed me and that he told Mum about me. But I guess, just looking at Amy and Rory and seeing how much losing a daughter, one that they hadn't really had a chance to get to know, affected them… "

She took in a deep breath. "Maybe I thought it would be easy for Dad. I mean I missed him and I looked for Dad everywhere I went, but I didn't miss him the way that Rory and Amy miss Melody." Tony sat down beside her and squeezed her hands. "Does that, does that mean that I'm… I dunno, a horrible person?"

"Jenny, everyone deals with grief in different ways. Dad tends to internalize it everything and act like it doesn't bother him. Mum lets it out and gets snarky when she's mad. Rory gets angry and throws things."

"What about you?" Jenny asked tentatively.

Tony squeezed her hands again. "I take after my birth mum, make tea and tell stories about happier times. Been talking a lot about Mels when she was growing up lately. Telling the kids all about the things that their aunt got up to when she was a kid." The kettle whistled, and he left Jenny's side to finish up.

"Do you think that you could tell me about her? I mean I've heard some of the stories before, but can you tell me again?" Jenny worried her lip again. "And can you tell me about River? The River that you knew growing up?"

"Course I can," he replied, setting a plate of biscuits in front of her. "Mels was, to put it mildly, a handful…"

**~oOo~**

Jamie giggled as his grandmother, Hannah, pushed him in the toddler swing. Beside them EJ pumped her little legs furiously, trying to get as high as she could, half convinced that she could swing herself over the top of the bar and launch herself into space. EJ entertained anyone who would listen with her tales of daring adventures. Thankfully, Jamie and EJ still had their childhood innocence.

Trisha felt a stab of pain in her chest. In many ways they were exceedingly lucky to still have that. With the lives that their family led, who they were, no one knew how long it would be until they were struck by the cruelty of the Universe.

Trisha and Tony had yet to tell their children what had happened to their cousin Melody. Jamie was still too young to understand. EJ, however, had overheard that Aunt Amy was pregnant when the adults were planning to rescue Amy. To her credit, EJ hadn't brought up the subject again after Tony had told her something had gone wrong and Aunt Amy and Uncle Rory had lost the baby. One day they would have to explain exactly what that meant.

But not today.

Trisha would protect the innocence of her children for as long as she possibly could. Their Granddad may be a Time Lord, their Gran some sort of goddess of time, but she wasn't going to let that or the fact that she herself worked for UNIT hurt her children.

She had always known how precious EJ and Jamie were to her. But now after having seen Melody ripped from her loving parents, knowing that Amy and Rory had had to watch their daughter regenerate twice, it was almost too much.

Several times in the last few months, Trisha had thought about taking the kids and running away, keeping them safely tucked away from anything that could threaten them. With or without Tony. She was scarred and suddenly all those old self-preservation instincts had kicked in. It was the same drive that she had when she'd wanted to take Sabrina away from the Williams family, oh so many years ago.

The only thing that had stopped her was remembering how she had felt when she was kept from her little sister. That and knowing what the loss of EJ, Jamie and herself would do to the rest of the family, not to mention what it would do to the kids. She couldn't hurt them, any of them.

But that didn't mean that she couldn't keep them safe. Or that she wasn't already taking steps to ensure the safety of her family but also of their friends. An enemy of the Doctor and Rose Tyler wouldn't hesitate to use an innocent person as leverage, and Trisha would do anything to stop that. Even if it meant erasing any knowledge of them from existence.

**~oOo~**

Amy somehow made it through the reading of the first two chapters of her final book without incident. In fact, she could see and feel just how proud Rory was of her for soldering on and putting on a wonderful performance for her fans. When they were done, Rory asked her to join him for dinner. There wasn't going to be any more running from problems, not on her end. Hopefully not on his either.

"We're a right mess, the pair of us," Amy said as they slipped into a secluded booth at the Chinese place near the hotel that she had been staying at. "I'm really sorry that I've been running away. Tends to be par for the course with me, did the same thing the night before our wedding."

"Amy." Reaching over, he took her hand. "We've both been… handling this in our own way. Maybe it helped us to sort out our feeling in the beginning, but I think that now we need to face this thing together."

"Yeah, I know that there is nothing that we can do about what happened to her. Or about the," she swallowed and tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear with her free hand, "About the Library. Either way we should focus on the time that we do have with her. For all I know, I could have been long gone before she met Dad and Donna that day."

Strictly speaking, Amy knew that River's life continued after that day. River herself had assured Amy but she couldn't tell him, not yet at least. He had to figure it out on his own. Which of course he would, Rory Tyler was brilliant and she missed him. "It won't be easy and I doubt I'll ever be the same as I was before, but I want us to be together again properly."

Rory gave a tight smile. "You're right, there isn't anything that we can do about her life so far but possibly, just maybe we can do something about her future." He threaded their fingers together. "I love you."

She squeezed his hand; everything would be all right, no matter how rocky it might get. "To the ends of the Universe."

"And back again," Rory reassured her.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy was surprised that it took a week for things to come to a head. Neither she nor Rory were known for being able to hold their temper. Maybe it was because this time they were walking on egg shells around each other. Both were grief-stricken, needing the comfort of the other, so they did their best to tamp down their anger, until today that is.

The day had started out with their new normal. Rory had gotten up early and ordered room service. They were still staying in the hotel. Neither one of them had contacted any other member of the family, at least to Amy's knowledge. Even though she'd had some contact with family, it had been weeks since she'd spoken to Mum or Dad. She still wasn't ready to be around everyone all at once. Rory had assured her that he understood and didn't push her to do anything that she didn't want to.

After breakfast, they went for a walk in a nearby park. Amy wasn't saying much, just enjoying the gentle breeze, the comforting presence of her husband, and the sound of his voice. For what must have been the third time in the past two days, he was outlining a highly technical and slightly dangerous plan to save Melody from her death. Even though she couldn't understand the details, Amy comprehended the gist of what he was planning. She had enough faith in him that she knew he would be able to pull it off even if she didn't have any foreknowledge.

"So if, no, when we pull this off," he said excitedly, "our daughter should be fine and hopefully my TARDIS will survive. She'll most likely be damaged, but she shouldn't be beyond repair. I've even found a lovely place for her to recuperate."

Amy gripped his hand tightly and nodded in agreement. She didn't like the thought of the TARDIS being hurt, but Rory wouldn't be reckless with her. He loved the ship; she was just as much a part of the family as everyone else.

"Now we just need to get Mum, Dad and Jenny on board with the plan, save our daughter, and put this entire mess behind us. This nightmare can finally be over." He turned towards her and leaned in to kiss her. Stunned, Amy pulled away.

"Put it behind us?" How dare he? Anger and frustration flared inside of her. "I'll never be able to put this behind me."

"I didn't mean it like that," he tried to explain.

"I was kidnapped, my body held in a pod while my consciousness was in some flesh thing." A tear trickled down her face. She wiped it away irritably. She didn't want to cry right now. Right now she wanted to be angry. "They violated me and took my baby. I was pregnant and didn't even know it until I went into labour."

"Amy, I…"

She cut him off. After keeping these feelings inside so long, she felt that they needed to get out. "What they did to me, to our daughter won't be fixed because you change the outcome at the Library!" Shaking her head, she backed away. "Rory, they stole her and forced her to do things." She shuddered. "They forced her to kill Dad. And then they forced her to try and kill Mum. After which, she regenerated, AGAIN."

He slowly stepped towards her. "Amy, Dad isn't going to die at Lake Silencio, and Mum is fine. Melody helped to save her."

"It doesn't matter," she screamed, not caring that they were in a public place. "Just because the outcome isn't what we originally thought, that doesn't make it better. You didn't see her face, our little girl's face. I did, in that orphanage in Florida. She was so scared. She thought that she had killed him, thought that she was capable of that. And then she died. I know that it was regeneration! That doesn't make it better! If she wasn't part Time Lord, she would have been dead because of what they did to her."

Tugging at his hair, Rory growled. "You think I don't know that!" His hands clenched. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he spoke as calmly as he could manage. "I may not have been there and I may not have seen her in that orphanage, but I was right there beside you when she died. I was scared, too. The whole time you were missing I was scared."

"I know you were," she spat, not quite ready to calm down.

Neither was he. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I would give anything to be able to have taken yours or Melody's place. I let you down, both of you. It should have been me." With a sigh, he let go of her and began to pace. "What each of us went through, it's not the same thing. Both of them were horrific, something that no one should have to go through."

Amy nodded. Their daughter had been taken from them, yet their experiences weren't even remotely the same thing. She had been kidnapped, and that was horrible. The whole time that she was imprisoned, she had known that she was alright, and she'd thought the same of Melody. But Rory hadn't.

Amy had never lost faith that the family would find her. For all Rory knew his wife was dead. And she had never really stopped to think about that, about how he had felt; she'd really only been concerned about herself.

Her beautiful Rory, the only man she would have chosen to go through this pain for (because the only way Rory would have even existed was if Amy had chosen to give up Melody), and she hadn't even really given much thought to how he was feeling. She was such a prat. They had both been through hell and back in the last two years.

Dear god, had it really been two years? For her it had been pretty close to that, even if she couldn't remember it all. A year of pregnancy, weeks being held by Madam Kovarian and her cronies, and months spent away from Rory trying to process her feelings. She hadn't even thought about how long it had been for him. Or for Mum and Dad and the rest of the family. How long had it been for them?

"We are so messed up," Amy said after a moment's silence.

He chuckled, dryly. "Yeah, we are. The question is where do we go from here? I mean we'll never get to go back to how we were before. But I'd like to get to a new normal."

Moving over to him, Amy wrapped her arms around his neck. "No idea how to get there but I'd like that too." Chastely, she pressed her lips to his for a moment before burying her face in his neck. She could hear his twin hearts beating in his chest. "I don't know how, but I know that you and I can figure this out."

"With or without my mum playing psychiatrist?" he asked cheekily.

"Probably best without this time," she replied, pulling out of the embrace and taking him by the hand. "Come on. Let's get lunch and talk through your plan again. There has to be a way to ensure that the TARDIS survives as well."

**~oOo~**

Water dripped from the ceiling in measured beats. There was a chill in the air, and the Doctor adjusted his new aubergine jacket on Rose's shoulders. As far as jail cells went, this was one of the worst that they had been thrown into. Dank, dark, the walls were dirt and looked like they were probably going to cave in at any time. And don't even get him started on that smell. It was more than pungent enough to offend his superior senses.

Still, there was still one upshot to this adventure. Earlier when he and Rose were helping to organize the rebellion, there had been a small group of children huddled in a corner. They couldn't have been more than toddlers. Rose had immediately taken a shine to them and vice versa. After finding the lot of them a safe haven from the upcoming civil war, Rose had played games with them, read them stories. It was the first time he had really seen her smile in weeks.

He was worried about her. Worried that she was going to become like him, hard. In his long life, he had so many people who had touched his life. Each one had left an imprint on him, in both big and small ways. And almost all of them had left him. Some because it was time, some because they had to and some because they had paid the ultimate price.

Between companions, his family, and his people, he had lost so much, so many people that he cared for. Every single loss stung. He and Rose both would still lose more. Yes, Rory and Jenny would hopefully live for centuries, but everyone else…. He pulled her more closely to him, turning to kiss her forehead. For every loss they would face, he would be here for her. Well, not here, here. He really didn't want to end up back in this place again. But by her side, that is where he would gladly stay.

"I love you," she murmured beside him.

"And I you," he assured her. An explosion rocked the building. The Doctor grinned and pulled Rose to her feet. "I think that's our cue."

At that moment the door to the cell flung open. One of the lieutenants of the rebel forces stood in the doorway. "You two coming?"

"Absolutely," Rose replied, helping the Doctor back into his jacket. "It's time to overthrow a dictator."

**~oOo~**

Trisha finished a few more lines of coding before saving her work to the flash drive and removing it from her laptop. The device was small and lightweight, yet it felt heavy in her hand because of what it symbolized. Closing the lid to her computer and shoving the drive into her pocket, she stared around at the kitchen. She and Tony had lived here for years. She loved this house. Not as much as the place in Leadworth, but this was still home. For now.

"Penny for them," Tony asked from the doorway.

Shaking her head slightly, Trisha looked up at her husband. "Just thinking about everything that's happened in the last few months. How it could have easily been EJ or Jamie that…" She couldn't even finish the thought.

"But it wasn't." Tony crossed the room and pulled her up and into a hug. "They're both upstairs, safe as houses."

"For how long?" Trisha asked, burying her head in his chest. "How long before someone comes after them because of the family? And I don't just mean Mum and Dad or even Rory. I work for UNIT and so does my mother. Our enemies may not be as powerful, but they are still very real and dangerous."

"We'll do what we have to do to protect them," he assured her. "I won't let anything happen to them."

Trisha pulled back and turned from him. "After everything that the Silence has done and you think that you can protect our children just that easily? After they took Amy and held her for more than a year? After their counterparts in another Universe murdered your parents?" Shaking her head, her hand subconsciously reached for the device in her trouser pocket. "As long as people think that they can get to the Doctor or anyone else through our children, we will never be able to protect them fully."

For a long moment he studied her thoughtfully. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

Keeping her face schooled, she shrugged. "Nothing." The less he knew the better. What she was planning could be seen as treason.

"Riiiight," he drawled out, rolling his eyes for good measure. "Patricia Tyler, I know you well enough and have known you long enough to know when you are up to something. So let's just skip the whole you being noble and not wanting to tell me 'for my own good' and me being persistent and just tell me."

"It's not a game," she insisted.

"Of course it's not. And whatever it is, I'm in. I'm all in, just let me know what you're planning."

Eventually, he would know. This would be life changing and he had the right to know, to have a choice in it really. Though she'd hoped that it would be able to wait until after it was done. Apparently, he wasn't going to let that happen. "Alright, I am planning something, something that if I'm caught could mean imprisonment in a UNIT facility for the rest of my life."

Tony's brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything. With a sigh she continued, "If people know of the existence of the Doctor or Mum, then not just the children's lives but everyone who they care about are in danger. But what if no one knew of their existence?" Pausing, she licked her lips. "What if I introduced a virus, a worm, into UNIT's mainframe and onto the internet that would delete any and all references to the Tyler family, the Doctor, or any of his companions?"

"What about Kate's storeroom?" Tony asked, knowing that Kate Stewart, head of UNIT, had prepared for just such a cyber-attack. "She has all sorts of hard copies of paperwork, pictures, artifacts. Even if your virus erases every computer file ever, it still won't rub out all of that."

This was part of the plan that was potentially the most dangerous. Wiping out computer files was not only easy but not likely to hurt anyone physically. "I'm planning on blowing it up."

"Really?" Tony asked incredulously. "And here I thought that you weren't keen on blowing holes in your career."

Despite herself, she grinned. Bad puns were something he had learned from the man who raised him. She had never admitted it to the man himself, but she loved those puns. "If I do this then my career won't matter," she explained. "With Jack's help, I planted something in Kate's vault a few years back. It looks like a relic of the Time Lords, but it's not. It's an explosive device that will destroy everything inside those two meter thick concrete walls."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You've been planning this for a while. Why?"

Sighing, Trisha leaned against the counter. "It was Jack's idea originally. Just a safety precaution. UNIT has always been on the Doctor's side and I trust Kate, but after what Torchwood did, what Torchwood was…" She remember how upset she was after she had met Jackie, for the first and last time, a few days before the Dalek and Cybermen attack.

Torchwood I had been dangerous, deadly. Jack had done his best in his initial days at Torchwood III to eliminate all mentions of Rose Tyler from the charter and early documents. It had probably saved Mum's life, not to mention prevent a giant paradox.

"I grew up surrounded by UNIT. I know what they are capable of and what they could be capable of. After Dad died and Jamie was born, I dunno, I just started getting this ominous feeling." Trisha shrugged. It was hard to explain why she felt the need to create a backup plan. And she felt guilty for never telling her husband about it. Closing her eyes, she waited for his reaction.

"I get it," he said, softly. Opening her eyes, she saw that he had moved to stand directly in front of her. "I get it. Almost my entire life, everyone around me has sacrificed to keep me safe, to keep the family safe. If you feel this strongly, then I'll help you do whatever it takes to make you feel that you and our children are secure. Nothing is more important to me than the three of you. Nothing." Gently, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Now tell me your plan."

Slowly Trisha looked up and met his eyes. She could see the sincerity and love shining from them. Never should she have doubted him. With a small, resigned sigh, she began to explain what she had in mind.


	3. Chapter 3

In a flash of light, River Song, Melody Tyler, arrived outside her home near Luna University. Pushing the door open, she fought back tears. She hardly ever cried but today it felt like she couldn't hold it back, didn't want to hold it back. The house would be empty. It always was nowadays. Her family was all but lost to her. She hadn't spoken to her Mum in years. The last time that she had spoken to her father had been at his sixth birthday. Nan and Tony hadn't known her then.

She had always known that this was going to happen. One day the people who meant the most to her would have no idea who she was. Even with that knowledge, she wasn't prepared for the reality of it. Honestly it was why she had panicked and gone to Trisha and Tony's wedding.

The only reason that she hadn't gone in was because, peering through the window, she had seen herself. She had looked so different in her second regeneration and despite the heartache of not truly feeling like a part of the family, she had been so happy then.

Pops had stopped her from running away and in that moment, she had been tempted to tell him everything. To tell him that his time was running short and that she was his granddaughter and to beg him in return to tell her what fate she must befall. Thankfully, he had kept his head on straight and refused to let her do anything rash.

She grabbed a photo album and collapsed on the sofa. A part of her had always assumed that the day would come when they would stop living out of order and find a more linear way to meet up. However,

A storm was coming, one that she didn't know if she could survive.

Idly she flipped through her photos. There were ones of family vacations, before Mum knew the truth about the family. There was a photo of Granddad holding his newborn daughter Clara while her Dad was holding his second-born child, a son. Melody had many times felt the sting of jealousy over the life her little brother, Edwin, got to have, would get to have.

Eddie didn't have to carry the burden of the Bad Wolf. He got to be raised by their parents. Hell, he got to remember being a child. She couldn't blame him however. It wasn't his fault that his life wasn't nearly as complicated as her own. Nor could she fault her parents for wanting to have more children. She had seen first-hand what the circumstances of her birth had done to them.

What she really needed was someone to talk to. She wanted Jack, but he hadn't been around in a while. Mostly, the pair of them travelled concurrent to each other, only occasionally having to hop around each other's timelines. Their relationship was complicated and unconventional, but she loved it, loved him. He just wasn't around that much anymore, and that in and of itself was troubling. She desperately wanted to see him before her trip to the Library.

A thought struck her, why not ask Jack to meet her there? He was always up for an adventure.

~oOo~

The fire popped and crackled in the hearth. Hannah took a sip of her scotch before throwing another file on the Tyler family into the flames. All the physical evidence of the confidences she had kept were going up in smoke. She chuckled ruefully at the witticisms of her fire related humour and added a small stack of photos.

The time had come and gone for keeping secrets from her daughter. Ironically, she knew that Trisha was keeping something from her, something important. At work, the only common ground that mother and daughter typically had, Trisha was distant. Well, more distant than normal. She was also clicking out of computer screens whenever anyone walked into her office.

Personally, while Hannah and her daughter were spending more time together outside of work, Trisha was tense. She fussed more over the children and fought back panic when one of them would leave her sight. All the tell-tale signs of someone ready to give up a life of a military operative were there. That she wanted to run and protect her own.

The question was what was Trisha willing to do to ensure her family's, her children's protection?

And would she let Hannah know what she was planning?

~oOo~

"And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again." Jenny closed the book and looked at the smiling faces of her niece and nephew. Human nursery rhymes were very confusing. Never, as far as Jenny could tell, was it ever explained that Humpty Dumpty was an egg. Nevertheless, two year old Jamie and year old EJ seemed to enjoy it and while she was not yet completely comfortable around children, reading them stories was something the three of them could enjoy.

"Will you do another, Aunt Jenny?" EJ asked sweetly.

"Well, it is your bedtime and the two of you need to brush your teeth. Why don't you go help Jamie get washed up and we'll do another story before you go to sleep, yeah?"

The two children scampered away and Jenny sighed and stood up to clean away the remnants of tea and playtime. It wasn't often that she was left alone with them, but Tony and Trisha had something they needed to take care of and Sabrina had a last minute date. Apparently she had run into an old friend from Uni while out on a take-away run earlier. Hopefully, Tony and Trisha wouldn't mind it just being her with the children.

Since Amy's kidnapping, the family had certain emergency protocols in place for Jamie and EJ's safety. Luckily, that was the one area where Jenny felt the most comfortable. Even though she no longer routinely carried any weapon with a setting higher than stun, that didn't mean that she couldn't take down an enemy combatant with ease.

"Aunt Jenny," EJ called from the other room. "We're ready for our story now."

Thirty minutes and four short stories later, Jenny finally closed the door to the children's bedroom. Thankfully they were both asleep. There was a bit of tinkering that she wanted to do on the TARDIS. After she made herself a cuppa, naturally.

As she passed into the lounge to grab the novel she was reading, she heard a soft knocking on the front door. Immediately, she stiffened and cautiously made her way over to see who was there.

"Who is it?" Jenny asked through the thick wood.

"It's Rory and Amy," her brother's muffled voice came from the other side.

Not quite letting her guard down, Jenny slowly opened the door. When she could see Amy and Rory's faces, relief flowed through her. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked, flinging the door wide open.

"I wanted to talk to Tony," Rory replied, moving into the house and pulling his sister into a hug. "But I'm glad you're here. I need to talk to you too." Amy stepped over the threshold and shut and locked the door behind her.

Jenny pulled away from Rory and hugged Amy. "Tony's not here. He and Trisha had to go out so I'm babysitting."

"Where's Sabrina?" Amy asked moving towards the kitchen.

"Out on a date of some sort," Jenny responded with a shrug. "Some boy she knew from Uni. They are going to grab a bite to eat and then go to a club. I like going to clubs, dancing is fun, but I guess I still don't understand human mating rituals."

Amy sniggered. It was nice for Jenny to hear that sound again.

"The kids in bed then," Rory enquired, slowly trailing behind the two women.

"Yep," Jenny said, popping her p. "I had to read them so many stories."

"I think I'm going to pop my head in, kiss them goodnight," Rory said, stopping at the foot of the stairs that led to the bedrooms. Looking over at Amy with a gentle expression on his face, his eyes flicked up the stairs. Immediately, Amy looked away and shook her head.

Rory headed upstairs, and Amy's gaze followed him but she didn't say anything. There was a heavy, awkward silence hanging around them and Jenny was unsure what to do next. "Tea," the blonde said suddenly. "I was going to make tea. Would you like some tea?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Amy replied with a nod. Turning she headed back down the hall towards the kitchen.

Things continued to feel a little awkward while Jenny boiled water. Several times, she tried to start a conversation with Amy. This shouldn't be so hard. It wasn't like she had never had a conversation with Amy before or spent time alone with her. Admittedly, there hadn't been many words exchanged post Demon's Run.

"Thank you," Amy said softly.

Jenny shrugged and poured the hot water into the mugs, over the tea bags. "It's just tea."

Amy gave the blonde girl a small smile. "No, I meant for before. For you taking me to see Mels, I mean Melody. I know I shouldn't have asked, timelines and all. It could have been really dangerous. But I really needed it. So thanks."

Yes, things could have gone horribly wrong with those visits, Jenny knew that. Yet, she also knew that she had a way help someone that she cared about ease their overwhelming grief. Even if it didn't fix things completely for Amy, Jenny was just glad that she could help. Not knowing exactly what to say, Jenny nodded and went to finish the tea.

A minute later Rory walked back into the room and Amy visibly relaxed. He sat down next to his wife before speaking. "So, I need, we need to talk to you about something."

"You said that earlier," Jenny pointed out as she handed them both a mug. Grabbing her own drink and a plate of biscuits, she sat down at the table.

Rory rolled his eyes and Jenny realized that maybe he was repeating himself because he wasn't sure where to begin. "Whatever it is, you can tell me," Jenny said comfortingly.

"It's a bit complicated," Amy said at the same time that Rory replied, "I know how to save Melody from the Library."

Jenny blinked. "Wait… What? No." In one of the books that she had read on losing a family member, there had been a chapter on how grief could cause normally rational people to lose touch with reality. "River, Melody's death is a fixed point. Altering the events of that day in any way, and the current timeline won't exist and neither will you."

"I've been thinking about this since I was a teenager, Jenny," Rory affirmed. "I have run though thousands, tens of thousands of scenarios in my head. I have opened my time senses and traced the outcomes. If anyone can make this work, it's me."

"But we _can't_ change the outcome," Jenny argued again. "I know that you don't want to believe that. None of us do. And that you want to help but…" She shook her head. More than anything, Jenny wanted her brother to be right about saving her niece.

Amy laid a hand on Jenny's arm. "Just let him explain what he has in mind to you and then decide if you think it will work."

That was fair enough. If she knew the facts, then she could rationally discuss why this couldn't happen. "All right, what did you have in mind?"

At her acceptance, Rory visibly relaxed. "Okay, so I've heard stories of the Library almost my whole life. And I know it's not just the moment of River's 'death' that is supposed to be fixed. It's the entirety of the events of that day that needs to happen exactly as Dad remembers, but what about the moment after?"

For a moment, Jenny wondered how difficult it must be to reconcile three people into one, Mels, Melody and River. And she wondered if sometimes, calling them by one specific name was a defence mechanism. Like by specifically using the name River here is a way for Rory to disassociate, to keep his emotions out of it. Blinking away her thoughts, Jenny returned her attention back to the conversation at hand.

"What he means is," Amy interjected, "what really happened to Melody's body?"

Jenny furrowed her brow. "The strain of downloading the people in the computer was too much for her. There was nothing left but ashes." A shudder went down her spine.

"Exactly," Rory responded with more excitement than anyone should have when speaking of their daughter's death. "All Dad saw was a blinding flash of light. There was no body, just ashes. Now remember what Mum and Dad said about the Games Station?"

Shaking her head, it took a moment for Jenny to connect the dots. "The transmat!" she exclaimed. "When the Anne-droid shot Mum, she was trasmatted to the Dalek ship, leaving behind nothing but dust."

Grinning, Amy chimed in. "Maybe, just maybe Melody didn't die but was transmatted away."

There was a niggling in the back of Jenny's mind. "What about all of the people? How did all of the people get out?"

Rory sighed. "This is the tricky and slightly dangerous part. We would route the download through the TARDIS, the young TARDIS."

"No," Jenny yelled. "You'll kill her."

"Wait." Amy turned to her husband. "You didn't tell me that."

With a deep sigh, Rory took one of Amy's hands in his. "If I temper the download myself then the TARDIS may sustain serious injury, but it's nothing that she can't recover from."

"Then you'll die instead of Melody," Amy concluded, a slight tremble in her voice.

"No, at worst I'll regenerate," he explained. "Giving up one regeneration for our daughter's life is an easy choice. You never know, I might end up with a much more handsome face."

Amy snorted. "I like your stupid face just the way it is."

He wrapped his arms around his wife. "I know."

"For a genius, you ain't half stupid, you know?" Sabrina's familiar voice called from the doorway.

The legs of Jenny's chair screeched against the tile as she jumped up. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to figure out what you were planning," Sabrina replied, crossing to the counter and setting down her handbag. "And I have a message for you."

"A message from whom?" Rory asked.

"Idris."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this took A YEAR to update. I hope the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long considering that the first draft of that one is almost finished.
> 
> Big thanks to LastIncurableRomantic, WhoinWhoville, KelKat9 and countless others for supporting me and to Veritascara for giving this the once over.

Rose wasn't exactly sure why Amy and Rory had called and asked to see them, but she was thrilled nonetheless. It had been far too long since she had seen her son and daughter. And while she understood their need for space while they dealt with their grief—she had hidden away after her husband had died—she also wanted to comfort them.

She helped the Doctor finish the dematerialization sequence, her hands shaking slightly. With luck, whatever they needed to say would be good news. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle news that they were getting a divorce or something like that. Her mind had been whirling through the worst case scenarios in the five hours since Rory had called her.

The ship landed with a small thump in its regular spot in Tony's guest room. Walking up behind her, the Doctor wrapped his arms around her. "This is a good thing, my love." His lips brushed against her ear as he spoke. "Because if it wasn't, they would have asked to meet anywhere else but here. This is a safe place."

"I know," Rose sighed. "I just… It just feels like we're all so fragmented, and I want our family to feel whole again."

His arms tightened protectively. "And we will, in time. What happened has been hard on everyone; it changed everyone. Before you know it, life will be back to footie matches, Sunday dinners, and school plays, in between seeing the birth of stars, the rise and fall of civilizations, as well as the rest of the wonders of the Universe, of course."

Rose chuckled. "When did you become the expert on domestics?"

"Just about the time you gave me a family." He shifted, taking her hand and leading her towards the door. "Come along, Tyler, before the grandchildren beat down the door."

"I thought the combined hordes of Genghis Kahn couldn't get in here," Rose teased, catching her tongue between her teeth and grinning.

"Have you seen EJ play chess?" he asked, pulling open the door. "She's almost beat me twice now. ME! I'm sure she could teach Sun Tzu a thing or two about strategy."

Stepping out of the TARDIS, Rose shook her head. "Well, we won't find that out for sure because you are forbidden from taking her to ancient China to meet him."

The sound of little running feet pounded on the floor. "Gran! Granddad! You're here," EJ's voice called from the hall. Throwing open the door, she leapt into the Doctor's arms, giving him a tight hug. Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes. While EJ loved her Gran, she was most definitely her Granddad's girl. Luckily, she was still Jamie's favorite.

Looking up, she saw her grandson toddling down the hall. Rose rushed over and scooped him up. "Gran Rose," he cooed, snuggling into her chest. "Missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart." She hugged him tighter and started towards the kitchen. Behind her, EJ was babbling about her day and the cool lizard she had seen at the park yesterday.

"Aunt Jenny’s been reading Jamie and me bedtime stories every night this week. And she said that next week she'll start reading me chapter books if I want." The note of pride in EJ's voice was undeniable.

The Doctor had caught up to Rose now. "I'm sure that you will both enjoy that greatly." He shifted the little girl and made a grab for Jamie. "Now switch and say a proper hello to your Gran." Deftly he moved to take the little boy and place EJ in Rose's arms.

The Doctor, Rose, and their grandchildren stepped into the kitchen to find only Rory and Tony there. The pair of them had their backs turned to the new arrivals, Tony cooking at the stovetop, Rory cutting something at the counter. "Hello," Rose said, trying to get their attention. Both men turned around. Tony immediately dropped what he was doing to embrace Rose and the Doctor. "Thanks for coming. I missed you guys." He extricated Jamie from the Doctor's arms and balanced his son on his hip.

"It hasn't been that long since we've visited. Has it?" the Doctor asked.

"Only about a week," Tony answered. "But with these two constantly asking to see you, it feels like much longer." EJ giggled into the crook of Rose's neck.

"Hello, Mum, Dad," Rory said with a grin. Setting down the knife he was used to cut vegetables, he walked around and hugged both of his parents. "It's good to see you both. I'm sorry that I've been… distant these last few months."

Rose gave her son a bright smile and kept an arm looped around his waist. "It’s alright. We understand completely."

"Where is everyone else at? Or is this the extent of the party?" the Doctor asked, a slightly worried tone in his voice. "Not that the four of you aren't reason enough to visit. We would have a great time, wouldn't we kids?" He raised his arms above his head, and both EJ and Jamie cheered.

Chuckling, Tony shook his head. "Everyone else is outside. The wolf cub and I are just finishing tea. Why don't you take the munchkins to the garden, and we'll finish up here."

"Sounds like a plan," the Doctor said, taking Jamie back from his father. Looking at Rory, he whispered, "we'll talk soon, all right?"

Rory nodded.

Leaving their two boys in the kitchen to finish lunch, the Doctor and Rose took EJ and Jamie out into the back garden. As soon as they stepped outside, the children ran off to play.

"Mum! Dad!" Jenny exclaimed happily and ran to embrace them. "How have you been?"

"We’ve been good, thank you, sweetheart," Rose replied, hugging her back before releasing her to her father.

Sabrina stepped over next. "Been out overthrowing governments again?" she asked, with a slight eye roll, before hugging her mum.

Rose laughed and nodded. "How did you guess?"

Shrugging, Sabrina pulled back. "It seems to be your go-to adventure when you’re upset. Somehow, freeing others from oppression makes you feel better about yourself. You have a very distinct pattern, and I'm no psychiatrist, but I'd think that says something very important about you."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "And I think that you should use your powers of observation for good and not evil things like trying to analyze your mother."

"Never. I simply refuse," Sabrina chuckled and nudged Jenny out of the way so she could say hello to the Doctor. "New suit, Dad?" she asked, picking a piece of lint off his new coat. "Only you could pull off purple."

Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her and planted a kiss into her hair. "I like this coat. It's much better than the Technicolor dream coat I wore in a previous incarnation. Plus, your Mum is very, very fond of the waistcoat."

"Ugh." Sabrina pulled a face. "Way too much information, Dad."

Slowly, Rose made her way over to where Amy was standing. The ginger woman was off to the side, her eyes fixed on the two children playing tag in the yard. Gently, Rose put an arm around the younger woman's waist. At first, Amy bristled but soon relaxed her stance. Neither woman said anything for a moment.

Eventually, Amy broke the silence. "I should have answered the phone all those times you called. I just really… wasn't ready to talk you yet." Her gaze never left the children.

"There's no need to apologize, sweetheart," Rose assured her. "And I'm still not going to pressure you to talk about anything that you don't want to. Just know that I'm here and I love you."

A small sigh escaped Amy's lips. "Thanks." She paused and leaned her head against Rose's.

~oOo~

Lunch had finished and Tony had carted an already drowsy Jamie upstairs. Ms. Elizabeth Jacqueline would be sent up for her afternoon nap as soon as she finished her chess match against the Doctor. He wasn't lying earlier when he said that she was good. In fact, had she been playing against someone less skilled than himself, she would have had him beat seven moves ago. At four, most people would consider her a prodigy, and with the proper training she would easily best everyone at the Inter-galaxy chess tournament on Werschin, although any Live Chess tournaments were most definitely out of the question.

The Doctor moved his rook and looked up at his granddaughter. Her face fell the moment that she realized what he had done. "Check mate," she said sadly. "Am I ever going to beat you, Granddad?"

"One day, my darling, and from how quickly you learn, I'm sure that that day is not far off." He started to put away the chess pieces of the set. "Now up to bed for a nap and maybe we'll play again later."

"All right," EJ agreed. Leaning over, she kissed him on the cheek and scampered off.

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and watched the people around him, his family.

He could feel the love that they had between them, but he could also feel that recent and future events were threatening to pull them apart. The bond between them, one that at one time had felt unbreakable, was now being threatened by something. It was different than what they had faced in the past.

No, this danger was internal and imminent.

Rory cleared his throat. "Mum, Dad, there are a few things that we, as a group, would like to discuss with you. And it might be best if we move this conversation inside. You never know who might be listening."

It took a moment for everyone to file into the lounge. The Doctor and Rose squeezed into an oversized arm chair, not that they minded being so close together.  Rose watched as her son paced the floor.  She could feel the myriad of emotions rolling off of him.  “Love, what’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.

Rory stopped in front of the chair where Amy was sitting and leaned on its arm.  “I’m not really sure where to begin,” he sighed.  “But I need your help.”

Laying a hand on his leg, Amy squeezed it to encourage him before she spoke.  “It’s about River… and the Library. And how we intend to… alter the outcome.”

The Doctor stiffened and carefully chose his next words.  “Rory, Amy, what happened that day, it’s fixed.  No matter how much we want to save her, we can’t, and I won’t allow you to try.”

“We aren’t asking for your permission, Doctor,” Rory said curtly, and the Doctor winced at Rory’s use of his name rather than calling him dad.  “We were asking for your help. I need your help, dad.”

The Doctor leaned forward and attempted to keep his voice level. “Rory, I would do almost anything for you, anything except messing with a fixed point in time.  I tried to do that once and it caused a very good woman to take her own life to try and repair the damage my arrogance created.”  The Doctor locked eyes with Rory.  “I don’t want you to go through that pain, especially over something so personal.”

“What if it’s not a fixed point,” Jenny asked. Rose turned to look at her daughter.

“How could it not be fixed?” Rose was confused.  “Those events, what happens to River, are key to the Doctor and Donna surviving the Library and to what the Doctor believes his future will be, thus letting the Metacrisis Doctor and I go back to the other universe.  If this unravels, so will our entire family.”

Trisha spoke next.  “Yes, everything up until River’s supposed death is fixed. But what if she didn’t actually die?”

“There was no body,” Tony added.  “Just a pile of dust.  Dad assumed that she died because there was no other rational explanation.”

“But teleportation leaves the same residue,” Sabrina chimed in.  “Like with mum on the Game Station—you just thought that she died, but she didn’t.”

 Slowly, the Doctor turned to his youngest daughter.  “Ok, so even if you teleport River away, that doesn’t explain how everyone is freed from the computer matrix.  Not without someone else sacrificing themselves, and that will not happen.”

“We’ll use the TARDIS, my TARDIS,” Rory clarified. “She can handle the download.”

It sounded so simple, but from experience Rose knew that was almost never the case.  Turning to look at the man beside her, Rose could almost see the wheels turning in the Doctor’s head as he tried to think through how that would work. After a moment, he shook his head.  “It won’t work, not without killing you or the TARDIS.”

Rory opened his mouth to protest but someone cut him off.  “This is where I come in,” Jack said, sauntering into the room.  “Rory called, said he needed someone to act like a human circuit. Guess he figured that since I couldn’t die, I’d make the perfect candidate.”  He flashed a cheeky grin. 

“It was Sabrina’s idea to use Jack, actually,” Amy explained, smiling at her. “It was the last piece of the puzzle that we needed.”

Sabrina smirked.  “It wasn’t me, not really.  It was Idris.”

“Idris?” Rose asked, flabbergasted.  “From when we were in the pocket universe? What did she tell you?”

“ _In the choice between his daughter and mine, the wrong man will make it right.”_ Sabrina shook her head.  “I figured the part out about Jack fairly quickly but I didn’t understand the first part.  Especially since Rory and Tony have been keeping this plan a secret for years.”

“How long?” Rose asked before the Doctor could launch into another protest.  “Rory, how long have you been working on this?”

“Since I was fifteen.  Since Sabrina’s birthday in Colorado,” Rory explained.  “That was when I knew that she had to be my daughter and that I had to save her.”

Part of Rose was saddened because her children had been keeping something so important to them a secret for years.  But another part of her understood why they would keep it to themselves.  After the events on Bowie Base One, the Doctor was skittish about fixed points in time, and rightfully so.  Overcome with grief and loss, he had decided that he wasn’t going to lose anyone else and the consequences had been dire.  The Doctor would have put a stop to any discussion of altering this moment.  But by keeping his plan hidden, Rory could work out what he needed to do on his own, with the support of his siblings.

“Alright, I’m in,” Rose said firmly.  “What’s the plan?”

The Doctor looked at her incredulously. “Rose, we can’t encourage this.”

She turned and looked him straight in the eye.  “If you don’t feel comfortable, fine; then don’t come.  But I won’t sit by when my children and granddaughter need my help.”

“It’s a fixed point,” he protested again.

Rose shook her head.  “I don’t care.  If Rory thinks he can do this, then I know he can.”

“Doctor,” Jack interrupted the oncoming fight between the Doctor and Rose. “You aren’t the last of the Time Lords anymore. “Jenny and Rory are perfectly capable of navigating a fixed point.  You need to trust them.”

The Doctor huffed.  He implicitly trusted Rory and Jenny; he just didn’t want to see them hurt if this didn’t work.  However, he couldn’t protect them forever, and helping was the best way to make sure that the universe didn’t implode.  “Fine,” he relented grudgingly and grabbed Rose’s hand. “What do you need from me?”

The tension in Rory’s shoulders diminished, and he handed his dad a data pad.  “The plan is actually fairly simple.  Jack, Jenny, Trisha, and I will land in the computer room before you or River arrives at the Library, and we’ll wait, cloaked of course.  The TARDIS is already programmed to interface with the mainframe.  We’ll make adjustments when we get there.

“After River has knocked you out, I will come out of the TARDIS and finish the connections needed for the download and the teleportation. By the time you wake up—by the time _he_ wakes up—everything will be done. The sonic will have a copy of River’s brain waves that will be downloaded into it so that you can ‘upload’ that into the data core.  When the countdown ends, River will end up safely with me while my TARDIS completes the download.”

The Doctor looked up from the data he’d been studying while Rory spoke.  “This is incredibly well thought out, and it just may work.  What I don’t understand is what you actually need me for?”

Rory grinned.  “Two things, first, I need to know every detail of your time in the computer room as well as exactly how long you were unconscious.  And second, even if everything goes to plan, I don’t think my TARDIS will be strong enough to travel after the download.  So we’ll need a lift, and we can’t exactly ask past you for one.  That would be one hell of an awkward explanation.”

Unable to help himself, the Doctor sniggered. “Since you lot are so determined to pull this off, I’ll help.  Let’s go take a look at how you’ve got the TARDIS programmed, see if there are any adjustments I can help make.”

~oOo~

“Stop fidgeting,” Amy said as she smoothed down the tie of Rory’s new suit.  “She’s going to know that something is going on if you can’t act normal.”

Rory reached over and grabbed his wife’s hand.  “She’s going to know either way.  We’re not supposed to be in her timeline right now.  For River, she just left Tony and Trisha’s wedding.  She’s not expecting to see us again.”

“Well, it’s time to prove her wrong.” Amy smiled.  “Are you ready?”

“As I can be,” he whispered.

“Do you have the sonic?”

He patted his left breast packet.  “Right here.  Let’s do this.”  Raising his hand, he knocked on the door.  A few moments later it opened.

“Amy, Rory, what are you doing here?” River asked, confused.

“Don’t be so formal, love,” Amy chided. “It’s mum and dad tonight, and we’re here to take you on an adventure.  How does dinner on Darillium sound? The singing towers are beautiful this time of year.”

River bit her lip trying to hold back a smile and failed.  “Sounds great mum, just let me get my coat.”  A minute later, she came back excited to spend time with her parents, whom she never thought she’d see again.  Little did she know that tomorrow when she left on her expedition to the Library that a whole new future would open up to her.  


 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I feel a bit like an idiot. This 'chapter' has been sitting on my hard drive for over a year. I never got around to editing it and there was more that I wanted to add. But after not having written anything Doctor Who in a very long time, I've finally accepted that I probably wont get my muse back for this story. I am very sorry to those of you who have been waiting for a resolution. 
> 
> Ironically, this is the scene that I envisioned when I started on this story. It was the reason that I created this verse at all and it seems fitting that this is where I will most likely leave it.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented and given kudos to this verse over the years.

The Library

The moment River left the room to follow Lux she thought better of it.  She had been in and out of her grandfather’s life for decades but she had never seen him like this.  The Doctor was dangerous, not to others but to himself.  He was going to get himself killed trying to save all of the people in the mainframe and he didn’t care.

She had to stop him, no matter what the stakes.  If he died now she would never be born. Her mother, her aunts Sabrina and Trisha would never find their family. Nan would be stuck in the other universe, maybe. 

More than likely all of reality would have been destroyed by Davros and the Daleks.  There were too many great things that her parents and grandparents still needed to accomplish. Not to mention everything that River herself needed to do.

River turned on her heel and headed right back to the computer room, her decision made.  As much as she had hoped that she could embark on a new life with her family, one where their timelines weren’t moving in directions, it was evident that that wasn’t going to be the case.

Today was going to be the day when she died and her family had known that all along.

Turning a corner, she saw Anita on the floor.  Or at least what was left of her. “Oh, Anita,” River cried.  She had really like the woman and she hadn’t deserved to die like this.

Briefly the Doctor turned to look at River before turning back to the view screen. “I'm sorry. She's been dead a while now. I told you to go!”

River glared at him. “Lux can manage without me, but you can't.”  Without hesitating, she crossed to her grandfather and punched him square in the jaw.  He crumbled to the ground.  When she was a child, back when she’d been Melody Jones, Pops had showed her exactly where to punch someone to knock them out.  At the time, she had thought he was showing her how to defend herself from aggressive dates.  Now she knew that he had been preparing her for this, preparing her to die. And she hated him just a little for it.

The squeak of a door in the corner of the room startled her.  River whipped around, brandishing her sonic like a weapon. “Where. The. Hell. Have. You. Been?” she screamed when she recognized her father.

Rory quickly strode across the room and enveloped his daughter in a hug.   “I’ve been here for ages, hiding until just the right moment.”  He pressed a kiss into her hair. “You didn’t really think that we’d let you do this alone did you?”

“For a moment,” River’s voice shook as she pulled away from him, “I thought that would. But you’re here now.  That’s all that matters.”

Rory gave her a small, reassuring smile.  “We have to move fast.” He nodded towards the Doctor.  “We’ve only got eight minutes and forty seven seconds till he wakes up.”

“We’ll need to secure him, in case he tries to stop whatever it is you’re planning.” River furrowed her brow.  “What are you planning?”

“Something heroic and slightly mad,” Rory replied pulling a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket and handing them to River.

“Ah, so just another day in the life of a Tyler then?” River joked, handcuffing her grandfather to a post.

“Yep,” Rory popped the p and then moved to the computer terminal the Doctor had been working on. “Jack,” he called looking to the corner of the room.  “I could really use some help right about now.”

The door to the TARDIS opened and Jack, Jenny and Trisha emerged.  “Hi honey.  Did you miss me?” Jack asked River with a wink.

“Jack, I never thought I’d see you again.” River whispered reaching out to clasp his hand.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” he replied, gently leading her to a chair.  “I’ve got to get you ready.  Come on.”

River sat down and turned her attention to her aunts. Trisha went to work alongside her father.  Jenny started attaching a few wires that she had pulled from the TARDIs to the mainframe of the computer.  Shaking her head, she deduced what was going on.  “You’re going to use the TARDIS for the download. That will overload her circuits.”

“Not if we do this right, sweetheart,” Jack said softly.  “Let them worry about that part.  I need to get you ready to teleport.”

Her eyes widened.  “You’re going to let Grandfather think I die, aren’t you.  Everyone is going to believe that I die here today.” Jack wouldn’t meet her gaze as he continued attaching wires and she knew it was true.  Somehow this was worse than her actually dying.  “Why?”

“It’s fixed.  The Doctor has to believe you’re dead, that you would die so that he could live. Otherwise none of the other things you’ve tried to convince him of today will sink into that thick skull of his,” Jack finally replied.  “He has to believe that you are his future so that the fully Time Lord Doctor will let Rose go with the Metacrisis. And given the timeframe that we have here, there is no other solution to this situation that to use a Time Lord brain for the download. “

River shut her eyes and nodded.  “This is going to work, isn’t it?”

“I promised you that I wouldn’t let you down, Melody,” Rory said from the terminal.  “I intend to keep that promise.”  He smirked at her and she grinned back.  “Your mother would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you now.”

They finished the rest of the work in relative silence. Everything was right on schedule and with less than a minute to go. Rory ushered everyone back into the TARDIS. “See you in a bit,” he reassured his daughter before closing the door.

He leaned heavily against the door before moving to the console. Jenny adjusted the view screen and Trisha squeezed his hand.

“We’re ready, Rory,” Trisha assured him.  “She’s going to be fine.”  Rory nodded and everyone turned their attention to the view screen and what was happening outside of the TARDIS.

_River’s hands shook as the Doctor began to stir.  Closing her eyes momentarily, she began to twist a few wires. With her hands busy her frazzled nerves began to calm._

_“Autodestruct in two minutes,” the computer stated._

_“Oh, no, no, no, no,” a fully awake Doctor cried. “Come on, what are you doing? That's my job.”_

_River raised an eyebrow. “_ Oh _, and I'm not allowed to have a career, I suppose?_ “

Jack laughed and Jenny shushed him.

_The Doctor tried to stand but couldn’t.  His eyes went wide when he saw that he was restrained. “Why am I handcuffed? Why do you even have handcuffs?”_

_“Spoilers,” River said with a hint of a smile._

Rory’s hands tightened on the console.  He could tell how scared she was and yet she was still so brave.

_“This is not a joke,” the Doctor growled. “Stop this now. This is going to kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any.”_

_“You wouldn't have a chance, and neither do I,” her voice caught and she stole a quick glance at the TARDIS. “I'm timing it for the end of the countdown. There'll be a blip in the command flow. That way it should improve our chances of a clean download.”_

“Everybody get ready,” Trisha called adjusting a few levers in front of her.

_The Doctor pulled on the cuffs on his wrist.  “River, please. No.”_

Jenny bumped into Rory as she rushed past him, making final adjustments.

_“Funny thing is, this means you've always known how I was going to die,” River said sadly. “All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here.”_ Rory raised his hand to the screen and touched the image of his daughter’s cheek.

_“The last time I saw you, the real you, the future you, I mean, you turned up on my doorstep, with a new haircut and a suit.” River subtly shifted her focus so that her image was looking straight at her father. “You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers. What a night that was. The Towers sang, and you cried.”_

_“Autodestuct in one minute,” the computer warned._

Jack wrapped a wire around each of his wrists.

_“You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the library. You even gave me your screwdriver. That should have been a clue.” Tears formed in River’s eyes._

_The Doctor lunged at the two screwdrivers that were just out of his reach._

_River shook her head. “There's nothing you can do.”_

_“You can let me do this,” the Doctor begged._

“No dad, she can’t,” Rory whispered.

_“If you die here, it'll mean I've never met you,” River explained, trying not to cry._

“Everybody ready?” Jenny asked as nudged Rory on the shoulder finally pulling his concentration away from the screen.

_“Time can be rewritten.”_

_“Not those times. Not one line. Don't you dare.” River’s eyes were locked onto the Doctor now but Rory knew she was still talking to him. “It's okay. It's okay. It's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come. You and me, time and space. You watch us run. “_

_“River, you know my name.”_ The Doctor’s voice was full of panic and for the first time Rory realized how terrified his father must have been in this moment. He didn’t know that Rose was about to come back into his life and that a part of him would lose her again. All he knew was that this impossible woman was sitting her implying that his future included a marriage,  one that he couldn’t see himself in and probably wouldn’t have wanted. And now he had to watch that woman die.  Or at least he was going to think she was going to die.

_“Autodestruct in ten.”_

“Everybody ready?” Trisha asked.

_“You whispered my name in my ear,” the Doctor said desperately._

_“Nine, eight, seven.”_

“I’m ready,” Jack confirmed, closing his eyes in anticipation of what was coming.

 

_“There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could.”_

“Locked and loaded,” Jenny confirmed.

_“Hush, now,” River whispered._

_“_ With the countdown then,“ Rory affirmed.

_“Four, three.”_

_“Spoilers.”_ A tear slipped down her check and her voice rang out in Rory’s head.  _‘I love you, daddy.’_

_“Two, one.”_

“Now,” Rory yelled, his hand slamming down on a button while Trisha and Jenny furiously flipped switches.  Jack connected two cables and his body started to convulse.  The lights in the TARDIS dimmed and blinked out. Only the glow of the time rotor remained.

_A blinding light surrounded River and she disappeared leaving behind nothing dust and remorseful Doctor._

 

~oOo~

Jack gasped as life filled him once more. “Did it work?”  He pulled himself off the ground and looked around the dim console room. “Where’s River?”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Rory replied thickly.  “This should have worked. But she’s not… she’s not here.”

Jenny wrapped an arm around her brother’s shoulder.  “I’m so sorry.”

Neither Trisha nor Jack said anything and a heavy silence filled the room.  All of that effort and planning for nothing, the TARDIS could have been irreparably damages and River had still died.

A noise startled the solemn group and Rory whipped around.

“Did Grandfather program the teleport,” River asked coming into the room, towel drying her hair.  She was no longer wearing her spacesuit but a simple sundress. “Because that is the only explanation I can come up with for landing in the pool. Before it disappeared of course.”

No one said anything and River just smiled and patted the wall. “Is the TARDIS alright?  She’s not saying anything… Sort of like you lot.”

Rory sprinted across the room and swept River into a hug.  “It worked.”  He pressed his cheek into the top of her head. “You’re alive.”

“You sounded a lot more confident a few minutes ago,” she teased squeezing him tightly.  “Thanks for not letting on that you weren’t 100% sure this was going to work.

Unable to form any more words, Rory simply held his daughter in his arms.  The knot is his chest that held all of the heartache and pain of the last few months relented.  “I love you Melody,” he said finally releasing her.  “And I would do anything to keep you safe.”

“I never doubted you for a minute dad.”  River kissed his check and stepped back letting Trisha embrace her.

Rory let out a deep sigh and joined Jenny at the console, keeping River in his peripheral vision at all times.  A part of him still couldn’t believe that this was real.  Beside him Jenny sighed shifting his attention to his sister. “What is it?”

Shaking her head, Jenny looked away from the view screen.  “Dad looks so sad.  I’ve never seen him so sad.  Well maybe once, after I was shot.  I just want to give him a hug.”

“He’ll be here soon,” Rory replied bumping his shoulder into hers.  “And you can do just that.”

“Maybe one big group family hug, yeah?” she suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed.


End file.
